High-Risk Medicines
High-risk medicines are medicines that have a high risk of causing significant injury or patient harm when they are misused or used in error. High risk medicines may:
- have a narrow therapeutic index
- have complex or unusual dosing and/or monitoring requirements
- be available in multiple strengths and forms
- have look-alike or sound-alike naming or packaging to other medicines.
High-risk medicines are identified through review of incident data and published information. Once identified, risk mitigation strategies are to be in place to increase safety including the development of protocols, policies or guidelines to assist clinicians in preventing serious adverse drug events.
Overview
The High-Risk Medicines Program is a component of the CEC Medication Safety and Quality Program and provides resources to support hospitals with the implementation of the NSW Health Policy Directive High-Risk Medicines Management (PD2024_006). The Policy Directive is to be viewed in accordance with the below high-risk medicines standards. Compliance with the individual high-risk medicine standards is a mandatory requirement for all NSW Health facilities. The individual standards available are:
- Anticancer medicines (Last updated 26 February 2024)
- Anticoagulants (Last updated 26 February 2024)
- HYDROmorphone (Last updated 26 February 2024)
- Insulin (Last updated 26 February 2024)
- Methotrexate (Oral) (Last updated 26 February 2024)
- Neuromuscular Blocking Agents (Last updated 26 February 2024)
- Opioids analgesics (Last updated 26 February 2024)
- Paracetamol (Last updated 26 February 2024)
- Potassium (Intravenous) (Last updated 26 February 2024)
- Vinca alkaloids (Last updated 26 February 2024)
The program also provides support for NSW Health facilities to meet the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standard relating to high-risk medicines.
Supporting resources for clinicians
- High-Risk Medicines Standards – High-level summary of changes
- ‘Safe Use of High-Risk Medicines: Introductory Module’ My Health Learning module (Course code: 214583697).